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13B

The concept of a TV haunting you is truly spooky but it is introduced in such a laidback fashion that you lose interest within the first twenty minutes. And later when the chills do begin it is too little too late.

13B - Preview

NOT A REVIEW - Just wondering if this one will retain my dislike for horror by making my insides squirm or will it like most other "horror" stories make me laugh unintentionally...

Another movie that promises to be different. Not just because the makers claim so but the promos and plot do offer hope.

Like a lot of human lives, the movie revolves around TV. And what if, one fine day, the TV takes over control replicating your control over the remote? Spooky.

The promos do have the standard - hurling humans, shattering objects, squeaky knives on wood sounds, hooded dude and all that jazz. I can also imagine the Psycho-delic violent violin strumming with the camera walking as if the one holding it is the murderer. It's what will come after and beyond that, which might chill.

One fine day he [Vikram K Kumar] saw a news bulletin, where television sets distributed by a politician resulted in his winning the elections.

I'm looking forward to seeing Poonam Dhillon on screen, more out of nostalgia than anything else. And maybe this time Neetu Chandra will have a little bit of a meat to her role for us to get a glimpse of her 'talent'. And of course, I've always looked out for work by R. Madhavan from his Banegi Apni Baat days. Ahem!

I would be doing gross injustice to my (Tamil) producers if I play second or third lead in Hindi films because I get to play solo leads there. Plus, the stories and concepts I work in give me ample scope to exhibit my talent. I wouldn't mind Hindi films if I came across exciting scripts.

13B is one of the very few Hindi films with him in the lead. And it is being made in Tamil too. Though he seems to have been totally gripped by it, his reaction amused me.

...when he [Vikram K Kumar] finished narrating the first half, I literally took a fruit knife and said to him if you don't finish the story like the first half is, I will kill you. So he said no, no let me tell you the second half and sure enough it was not as good as the first half, but I said it's just phenomenal and never been done before so lets sit and work on it...

And work on it, they supposedly did. Whether it was good enough, we'll know soon enough.

What amuses me even better is that now I know that the word 'sexy' was used even before seeing the movie or its promos. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know. And this whole certification bit will only create more buzz around the movie.

Anyway, the promo song fulfills all requirements of its nomenclature. Cheesy and irrelevant lyrics, generic music, bikini-clad women, and the protagonist acting completely out of character. Yeah you sort-of can tell even without having seen the movie - compare the song to the trailers. Here you go -

The official site interestingly has had over 5 million hits already. That is quite some achievement. True, the site loads really fast compared to other movie sites. And it also has a list of creepy stories. The kind you could potentially use around a campfire on a dark night out with friends.

For now, let's see how this story works out in a dark theater.

- meeta, a part of the audience

Movie ticket: Rs. 150
Coffee + water: Rs. 60
Guy in front of you banging his head in despair: PRICELESS

It's nice to know you have company for your sentiment towards the movie, right? I've never fancied horror too much. But while watching 13B I was wondering what I dislike more - the squirms when the movie is done well or the annoying 'typical' camerawork and background score which make it unintentionally funny. Some of these standard techniques were just too in the face and obviously annoying.

That the movie took a turn for the better in the latter half didn't help much, because by then the enthusiasm of watching the movie had worn off. And since the TV is doing the haunting and making accurate forecasts, you end up seeing everything twice - once in the TV prediction and then in the movie. And sometimes the makers feel obliged to repeat a dialogue or two even after the first repetition. And if not that, then the TV was spoon-feeding us just in case we missed the point that real life was replicating reel life. Not to mention that the appliances taking over life bit is rubbed in till you are just about to begin tearing your hair apart.

And why is there such a lack of creativity in trying to horrify us? When was the last time violins rising up to a crescendo didn't bring snickers and eye-rolls? I was craving a normal, straight, non-close-up shot. Some bits are so slow that the director without a doubt knew that the audience would know what is about to happen. Then, why would he do that? And am I the only one bothered when 'the unknown entity' is obsessed with the house address without any rhyme or reason?

Madhavan though does a good job of portraying Manohar's anger, his frustration, his vulnerability. The rest of the cast is just about ok.

A potentially scary concept was completely messed up. But, just imagine this. All the soap operas on television - what if our real life starts replicating them. Or we believe that our lives are replicating them and they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Now, that's what I call horror!

Thumbs up,
by Ashok Nayak,
Now Running.com
:
... It has a strong thrilling story with tension filled horrific elements brewing through the veins for most of its runtime...
full review

Thumbs up,
by Tushar,
Passion for Cinema
:
...13 B is not just a rivetingly told spooky tale but explores its characters and symbols as allegories that etch out a larger picture....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Sethumadhavan,
Passion for Cinema
:
...The movie for once does not have the typical blood & gore associated with Indian movies of this genre & is more of something which plays on your mind....
full review

Thumbs up,
by Nikhat Kazmi,
Times of India
:
... Now this one's a neat little goosebump that keeps the chill factor on simmer, both in terms of content and charisma...
full review

So-So,
by Aparajita Ghosh,
Apun Ka Choice
:
... Director Vikram K Kumar lays the foundation of story very deftly and gradually takes the film from a feelgood zone to a dark, paranormal, spooky one...
full review

Nay! Thumbs Down,
by Hindilyrics4u.co.in: the movie took a turn for the better in the latter half didn't help much, because by then the enthu

Nay! Thumbs Down,
by Tamillyrics.co.in: So much for original story. It's a repackaging of Spielberg's Poltergeist with "Saas be kabhi Bahu t

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Plot Summary

The More family moves into a new house. Manohar (Madhavan) notices that all appliances are behaving strangely and begins to get worried.

What Worked

Loved the title sequence.

Stuff going black and white when the dog, Harry's point of view is on display.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

How come weird things were happening only to Manohar and not to anyone else in the family?

What was with the old, blind man and his knowing smile?

How come such a tall building had only one life?

What was the purpose of good things happening to the hostages of the TV set?

Why were only those select appliances like lift and mobile phone behaving strangely?

Why were these ghosts obsessed by their home address?

Why did the temple-room walls act up?

Could there be a more in-the-face irrelevantly placed song than 'aasmaan odh kar...'? Or was it an excuse to get Neetu Chandra to shed a few clothes?

The clock counting down to the time the TV program begins as if lives were on stake. Whereas the only thing that Manohar achieves is to know the future a teeny-bit in advance.

How could the women not realize that the TV program showed what happened in their lives only a bit in advance?

Why does Manohar not call his brother directly?

The hint that there might be 13C! Nooooo!! You cannot do this to us.

Nitty-Gritty

This section lists things that I think are not important to the overall impact of the movie. In most cases, it could be explained away by something like, "we noticed the glitch after the scene was shot and there were schedule/budget issues and thus we could not re-shoot it". I like giving the makers the benefit of doubt, but I am amused nevertheless. Hopefully, they will tickle you too.

Why would two friends meet on a cricket ground? And that too to stand in the audience stands?

Why does that household have no maids? Or is it so jinxed that no domestic help likes to stick around? :)

How come the 30-year old newspaper looks fresh and right out of the printing press?

How come the whole neighborhood has the same umbrella?

The newspapers falling from the top of the shelf. And what was he doing climbing that shelf in the first place.

Parental Guidance:

Violence: People being hammered to death.

Language: References to sexual positions.

Nudity & Sexual content: Hint that 'making love' is on its way.

Concept: Ghosts, the paranormal and such.

General Look and Feel: Its dull and dry. There wouldn't be much to keep a kid interested.